RETHINKING SUNDAY

Today was my first time going down to the base for the Sacrament Meeting held at SOI (School of Infantry).  Alan has spoken there several times either as a High Council assignment or when he was invited.  It is held at 2:30 pm in a multi-use little chapel there.  The marines that attend there are all the ones going through SOI who can't leave the base for church. The Marine Corps School of Infantry trains entry-level Marines in basic warrior skills. SOI's training mission ensures "Every Marine is, first and foremost, a Rifleman"  SOI also trains Marine leaders from the rank of Corporal to Lieutenant in advanced infantry and light armored vehicle skills. ( I took that off the marine website).  When they first go through boot camp they are told on Sundays "You can either go to church or sit in the barracks."  Most of them choose to go to church.  SOI is the next level above boot camp, but they have their choice whether to attend or not.  So there were only six marines instead of a possible 40-60.  We go there to see if we can identify any LDS marines who will soon be assigned to our area of Camp Pendleton. Of the six marines, one did not know yet where he was going, one was going to Missouri, one to Monterey, one to Okinawa, and two were Reserves from Portland, Oregon about to be deployed to Afganistan next week.

Because church was so late I attended Sunday School and Relief Society in our family ward.  I haven't done that since we were called to the YSA ward in September.  I have been to lots of Sacrament Meetings, but not SS and RS.  It was nice to be back with the sisters I have grown to love.

Sunday is far from a day of rest for me.  I wake up early trying to figure out how I can attend the different meetings I may need to attend and still find the time to fix the nice Sunday dinner I have planned.  Do I start the rolls and do the dessert before I go to SS & RS?  Will I have time with traveling all the way to the base to get all the other parts of the meal done?  Did I buy enough if some of the marines show up for dinner?  Will we need a leaf in the table?  Have I planned menu items that certain family members don't like or will not eat?  If Alan or Adam doesn't fix breakfast for me I seldom find time to eat other than a taste of this or that that I am preparing.  I always worry that I haven't prepared enough and then I have too much most of the time.

Half the time, someone I am planning on attending dinner with us doesn't come after all.  Lucky for us Mao and Cathy came for dinner.  They have been on a little getaway, staying at a nice hotel in Rancho Palos Verdes.  Her sister came all the way from Boston to stay with the kids so they could have a couple of days alone before #3 arrives. It was her Christmas present to them.  Wasn't that nice?  We got to have a few hours with them.  They very much appreciated the dinner and made it all worthwhile.

But I think I probably am breaking the Sabbath to spend so much time and worry some days.  We may just cut down to one family Sunday dinner and one Marine Sunday a month.  I guess as a mother you want to gather your family around you as much as possible and Sunday dinner is my excuse to do that.  All my life my mother did such nice Sunday dinners.  We always had company and I loved it.  I don't remember it being so much work for my mother, but a child never knows how much their mothers really do.

Sunday Dinner with Mao, Cathy, Adam, Bailey, and Jennifer. Alan was camera shy, I guess.

You would never guess Cathy is six months pregnant.  In fact you probably wouldn't guess she was pregnant at all.  She is very lucky.  She is afraid, though, that people will just think she is putting on weight.  She doesn't even look like that either. Fun to have them, even briefly.  Hope to see them agian soon.